On December 19, 2012, the Iranian website Qodsna.com, which operates on behalf of the regime-sponsored Society in Defense of the Palestinian Nation, published two antisemitic articles about the previous week's shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, stating that both the victims and the shooter, Adam Lanza, were Jews and that the global media had refrained from reporting this information.

According to the first article, titled "The Common Roots of the Palestine and Sandy Hook Crimes," by Ali Haj Mohammadi, the Western media were deliberately concealing the fact that Lanza was Jewish because it was difficult for the fundamentally anti-Islam American media – that are controlled by "Zionism in America," to report this.

The article further stated that Lanza, like other Ashkenazi Jews, including Israel's leaders, were afflicted with a form of "mental illness" that made them hate others and turned them into murderers. It also drew a direct line between Lanza and Israel's leaders, saying that the latter's crimes against the Palestinians are another manifestation of the same illness.

The second article, titled "The Zionist Lobby's Gun Control Plan For America," stated that following the shooting, "Jewish rabbis" in the U.S. had begun to respond with demands for action, due to their fear of a possible wave of antisemitic attacks sparked by the Israeli government's actions, particularly in Gaza. It then claimed that the shooting was the result of the growing hatred for the Jews in the U.S.

In addition, the Iranian news agency Fars published a number of cartoons mocking the U.S. for its gun policies (see Appendix).

Following are the translations of both articles:

"The Common Roots of the Palestine and Sandy Hook Crimes"

"The Point... Not Reported By The Media Networks, Which Are Controlled By Zionism In America... Is That Adam Lanza Was A Jew"

"Last Friday, December 14, Adam Lanza, the notorious American murderer, murdered 27 [sic, actually 26] at a school in Newtown, Connecticut, U.S., using a military machine gun. That day, and the next, this news item grabbed the headlines inside and outside America – and indeed, the emotional shock that it caused due to the murder of children in a cultural settingwas great and angered all.

"But the point that was not reportedby the media networks, which are controlled by Zionism in America, or by the media in our country [Iran], which is for the most part a consumer [of those networks]– is that Adam Lanza was a Jew, and grew up in a Jewish family and in a Jewish environment.

"The horrifying massacre of 27 people, including 20 children under the age of 10, was for the American and Western media, whose chorus [i.e. satellite channels] have always been equipped with anti-Islam melodies, a counteraction, with drums and bugles, that might have weakened the process of Islamophobia [led by the Western media]. For this reason, the Western media network directors decided to skip over this issue, so that no one could say that in the most horrifying murder in America, both murderer and victims were Jews."

Besides Being A Jew, "Lanza Was Mentally Ill, Suffering From Asperger's... People With This Disease Hate The Society Around Them"

"But what really happened[?] According to most of the popular websites in America that receive no favors from the Jewish lobby, such as Firstpost and some of the [Occupy] Wall Street movement websites, Adam Lanza was a Jew.

"Another point is that the Zionist media did not reveal [other] dimensions of the incident. They published a photo of Lanza as a boy, to show his innocence – but the 20-year-old Lanza had an aggressive expression on his face.

"[Yet] another important point that some American websites mentioned was that Lanza was mentally ill, suffering from Asperger's, a communication [disability]; people with this disease hate the society around them [emphasis in original].

"Someone with this disease isn't interested in forming a relationship with society; he is indifferent to [others'] suffering, and sometimes is even interested [in it].

"According to Wikipedia, this disease differs from autism in that the afflicted individual is capable of talking with others and does not have cognitive problems. In effect, this disease is characterized by an aversion to society.

"It is interesting that according to some medical websites, this disease is common among Western Jews, that is, Ashkenazis, who are now fearlessly continuing their historic oppression of the Palestinians [emphasis in original]."

"Adam Lanza too was an Ashkenazi Jew who hated others, but no one could have identified this disease because he spoke like other people, and was aware of the world around him, like others. But in his hearthe nursed hatred, [which exploded] on Friday in America, for all to see.

"And, of course, the victims in this incident were also mostly Jews. According to a French news agency report, the murdered children were buried Tuesday in a Jewish ceremony. That is, in this horrific incident, a Jewish murderer attacked coreligionists, slaughtering them in a terrible fashion.

"No American media network had the guts to report this point."

"The Zionist Lobby's Gun Control Plan For America"

"The Zionist Lobby In The U.S. Has Begun Pressuring... For Gun Control Legislation In America, Due To The Murder Of Some Jews"

"The Zionist lobby in the U.S. has begun pressuring senior American officials for gun control legislation in America, due to the murder of some Jews in the terrible incident at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut in the U.S. According to a report in the Jewish Telegraph [sic][1] a group of Jews has announced its desire for legislation to control guns in the U.S.

"Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the 'Center for Jewish Religious Affairs' [sic][2] in the U.S., said, 'We are establishing a coalition [for ensuring that] laws are passed [regarding] gun control.' In recent weeks, and following the Connecticut school massacre in which 20 people [sic] died, among them seven children [sic],[3] Jewish rabbis are joining this coalition in order to force American lawmakers to pass legislation in this matter."

"The Jewish Rabbis, Who Have In The Past Held Their Tongues Regarding These Murders, Are Now Forcing The American Administration To Toughen Gun Control Laws"

"The [U.S.]rate of gunmurders is 19.5[%] higher than in [other] developed countries – and every year, 30,000 armed attacks kill thousands of Americans. Americans are now asking why the Jewish rabbis, who have always been silent about these murders, are now forcing the American administration to toughen gun controllaws– laws that have not changed since the 18th century and that no president has yet succeeded in amending.

"The only reason for this – which unfortunately is being concealed from the media, whether willingly or unwillingly – is that both the shooter and 20 of the victims were Jews. This vital point is not being mentioned by the global media."

"[Jewish] Leaders See The Steps Taken By The Israeli Government Throughout The World As The Only Reason For This [Hatred]"

"The hatred for the Zionists in America grows day by day. Attacks on Jews, and expressions of hatred towards them in the social networks, also increase daily. This is frightening the Jewish community and its leaders. Messages such as 'Last year only 58 Jews were killed, in contrast to 10,728 Americans,' 'For shame, Jew,' and 'Jews are Nazis' can be found all over the social networks."

"The broad wave of opposition in America to Israel's slaughter [ofPalestinians during] the eight days of [the] Gaza [war] is [another] indicator of this hatred. This hatred is what caused an event like that at the school in Newtown, where 20 [sic] Jews were murdered.

"The Jewish rabbis believe that this is the beginning of an antisemitic process in America, and they have founded this coalition in order to slow [this] process. These leaders see the steps taken by the Israeli government throughout the world as the only reason for this [hatred]."

"Murder of 30 Children And A Teacher [sic] – Another Mark Of Shame On America's Forehead"[9]

*E. Zigron is a Research Fellow at MEMRI; A. Savyon is director of MEMRI's Iranian Media Project.

Endnotes:

[1]The Jewish Telegraph is a British newspaper, while the Jewish Telegraphic Agencyis an American news organization.

[2] According to the RAC website, Rabbi David Saperstein represents the Reform Jewish Movement to Congress and the American administration, as director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC). http://rac.org/aboutrac/leadershipandstaff/rds/